‘We need more players of colour’

Saru president Oregan Hoskins has appealed to provinces to give more exposure to players of colour in the new year.

 Cape Town - SA Ruby Union (Saru) president Oregan Hoskins has appealed to the country’s provinces to give more exposure to players of colour - starting from the new year.

Hoskins sounded a dire warning when he said Cosatu was going to ask for him to be fired as SARU president because of the lack of transformation as the unions were not doing enough to provide black players to the Springboks.

“We are at crisis point,” he said.

“That glass ceiling in our rugby has become almost concrete and we need to break it. And the way that we can break it in South African rugby is through the provinces, especially the franchise provinces. They need to play their part.

“It’s fine if Cosatu want me fired. But right behind me is going to have to be the presidents of the big unions because unless they assist us in transformation… it just has to happen.”

Hoskins was in Cape Town on Friday addressing media over Heyneke Meyer’s decision to step down as Springbok coach this week.

Hoskins said that the SARU leadership had met with Meyer last week, and that a “fruitful” discussion surrounding issues of transformation was had.

Hoskins said that whoever the next Springbok coach was, would need to know that the job would place transformation at the very top of the agenda over the next four years.

When asked if the unions were playing their part, Hoskins gave them a big thumbs down.

“They’re not doing enough. We’re at crisis point in terms of that,” he said.

African News Agency